


Finding My Light

by Adrien_Noir1798



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, KH3 AU, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:00:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24769681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrien_Noir1798/pseuds/Adrien_Noir1798
Summary: What if Sora was more in tune with his Heart and able to actually get in touch with Roxas? What if Demyx decided to defect earlier and help in the effort to bring him back? What if Roxas was able to come back earlier and help Sora on his journey? Ever since Sora mentioned bringing Roxas back while I was playing KH3, I was hoping he might show up earlier than he did. Then I couldn't help but imagine how things might go if he did and thus this fic was born.
Relationships: Demyx & Naminé (Kingdom Hearts), Isa/Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas/Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 42





	1. The Beginning (Twilight Town)

**Author's Note:**

> It's me, back at it again with another fanfiction writing attempt. I know I haven't touched my NieR: Automata fic in literally years... I hope to come back to it and finish it at some point in the future; I just have had a major block with it that I just can't seem to get past. I've been recently inspired by Kingdom Hearts, though, so I wanted to try my hand at it. I hope you enjoy it!

_**“Maybe you're feeling what Roxas feels cuz he misses home.”** _The words had run through Sora's mind nonstop since they'd been spoken and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about them. Perhaps that was the reason he hadn't been terribly surprised to feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he prepared to leave Twilight Town with Donald and Goofy.

Donald and Goofy stopped along with Sora at the entrance to Twilight Town, the duck magician gazing up at the boy and patting his arm lightly in concern. “Sora? Are you okay...?”

Sora considered for a moment as he wiped his cheeks. “Yeah... I think I'm fine...”

Goofy looked him over thoughtfully. “Do ya think it's Roxas yer feeling again?”

Turning to stare back out over the town, Sora thought about it. “I suppose it must be... Guess he's feeling homesick again... Especially now that we're leaving...” He stared down at the ground as he mulled it over, trying to think of a way to try and help Roxas. Moments later he straightened up and nodded decisively to himself as he turned to his companions. “Why don't you two hang out over at the Bistro for awhile? I'll catch up with you.”

The two looked at each other in surprise before shrugging and turning back to him as Goofy nodded his assent. “Alright, Sora. Take all the time ya need. Ya know where to find us.”

Sora watched them make their way to the Bistro and settle in at a table before he started making his way over to the ice cream stand not far away where the shopkeeper greeted him with a kindly smile. “Why hello there. Here for some ice cream, I presume?”

Sora couldn't help but smile back as he nodded. “Yes, Ma'am. Can I have a sea-salt ice cream, please?”

“Of course, Dear!” The elderly shopkeeper grabbed a stick of the requested ice cream and slipped it carefully into a bag which she handed to him as he handed over some Munny to pay for it. “There you are. I hope you enjoy it, Sonny.”

Sora smiled brightly as he took the bag. “Thanks! I'm sure I will. Please, keep the change as a tip.”

“You're sure? Why thank you!”

The two said their goodbyes and Sora threw a parting wave over his shoulder as he ran towards the train station, intent on reaching the clock-tower.

After a long climb to the top via the stairs, Sora settled on the ledge and nibbled on his ice cream quietly, staring off into the sunset. While he wasn't personally big on the taste of sea-salt ice cream, he couldn't deny that it was helping to soothe something deep inside him and he decided that he wouldn't mind eating it once in awhile if it helped Roxas feel better. His eyes started to drift shut and he started focusing inward, trying to feel his Heart as well as the other Heart that lay within it, vaguely hoping maybe he could communicate with Roxas.

He was suddenly tugged inside himself and he found himself gazing at a large, circular stained glass mural. It was bright red and prominently featured Roxas in his black Organization coat with Axel and Riku in the background along with a black haired girl Sora couldn't recognize but felt a vague sense of familiarity towards anyways. As he slowly landed on the platform, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with none other than Roxas. Tilting his head in surprise for a moment, he gave a bright grin. “Roxas! You are here!”

Roxas, for his part, didn't seem nearly as surprised to see Sora there. Instead he nodded in greeting as he gave a small but grateful smile. “Thank you, Sora...”

“Huh...? 'Thank you'? For what?” Sora scratched the back of his neck bemusedly.

Roxas shuffled his feet and shrugged somewhat sheepishly. “The ice cream... The clock-tower... For realizing what I was feeling and trying to make me feel better...” He gave a small smile. “I was right. You really do make a good other...”

Sora returned the smile and shook his head. “You don't need to thank me for that. It's just what any decent person would do, try to comfort someone they knew was hurting.” He straightened up and clenched a fist in determination. “You don't have to worry. I'm going to find a way to fix this, to bring you back to your own body so you can just be yourself again.” Chuckling sheepishly as he scratched his neck, he amended himself. “Well technically Ienzo's doing most of the actual work towards that end since I don't know how to computer, but I'm doing what I can to help.” A sigh escaped him as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “I just wish I didn't have to drag you away from home again... I know you miss it, and I wish I could let you stay... But I have other people who also need my help and I can't just stay in Twilight Town...”

Roxas tilted his head for a moment before giving it a shake. “No, I understand. I'm not the only one counting on you. You can't do anything to help me right now, but you can help them. So go. I'm not holding it against you; I never did. None of this was ever your fault.”

“I will fix this. I promise. I won't rest until we get you back into a body of your own. You deserve to be your own person. You should never have had your life stolen from you...” Sora ventured closer to his Nobody before reaching out and catching him in a hug.

After a few moments, Roxas eventually relaxed into the embrace and returned it somewhat clumsily. “I'm the one who chose to give it up. Returning to you was my decision. But thank you...”

Sora suddenly jolted back to himself and was back on the top of the clock-tower, still holding the stick from his now-finished ice cream. He stared down at the stick in his hands, trying to figure out if what he'd just seen was real or if he'd slipped into some kind of day dream but was startled out of his thoughts when he heard Roxas's voice echo through his mind. _“Thanks again, Sora. For everything.”_

_Well I guess that answers that question... It must've been real._ He stood up and stretched, gazing back out at the sunset with a smile.  _“You're welcome, Roxas. I'll make sure to bring you back home soon. It's another promise.”_ Wrapping the stick back in the bag and tucking it into his pocket, Sora then grabbed his gummiphone to check the time. “Whoa! I should go meet back up with Donald and Goofy!” He tucked the phone back in his other pocket and raced back down the clock-tower stairs, running as fast as he could back to the bistro.

Donald and Goofy both leapt to their feet when they saw Sora approaching, both looking him over in concern. When he reached them, Goofy laid a hand on his shoulder. “Gawrsh, Sora. No need to hurry so much. We weren't about to leave ya behind. How's Roxas doin'? Is he feelin' any better?”

Sora nodded in response as he crouched with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. After a short moment, he was able to speak again. “Yeah, I think he's feeling a lot better now.”

The trio made their way back to the town's entrance and boarded their gummiship. Once they settled into their seats, Donald piped up. “So where do we go now, Sora?”

After thinking it over for a short time, Sora shrugged. “Dunno... My Heart's supposed to be my guiding key, though right? Might as well let the Keyblade decide again. It worked with Olympus. Kinda.” He stood and stretched, summoning his Keyblade and willing it to guide them to their next destination.


	2. Keeping In Touch (Toy Box)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora gets a progress update from Ienzo and discovers that they have a surprise ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! It's a bit shorter than the last one, but hopefully they'll get a bit longer going forward. Enjoy! ^_^

A couple of hours filled with venturing through the Toy Box world later found Sora, Donald, and Goofy back on their faithful gummiship, the Highwind. Sora flopped back into his seat as Young Xehanort's parting words continued to run circles in his mind. _**Find the Hearts joined to yours.**_ The words themselves along with the urgent tone in which they'd been spoken kept puzzling him.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Roxas's voice echo through his mind again.  _ “That was pretty weird... What do you think it means? Or is it just some kind of mind-trick?” _ Apparently the mystery had been bothering him as well.

Sora relaxed back into his chair, folding his arms and tucking a curled fist under his chin as he thought it over some more.  _ “You know... I'm really not sure... It sounded genuine enough, but that could just be part of the trick, I guess... Where would I even start with finding the Hearts joined to mine? And why would he want me to? Wouldn't that just mean more people on my side and more of an advantage for me?” _

He could practically feel Roxas shrug in his mind.  _ “No idea... But there's gotta be somebody we can ask about it? Isn't there anyone who knows him better than we do?” _

After a moment of thought, Sora nodded to himself.  _ “Master Yen Sid might... Maybe we should ask him. Another thing that's weird is that it seemed like he was being secretive about it. He seemed to make an effort to make sure only I heard it...” _

_“Huh... Yeah, that is weird... Maybe it is important then. We should definitely try and look into it, at least. Just to cover our bases.”_

Sora nodded in agreement.  _ “We should. I'll be sure to make a stop at Yen Sid's tower soon so we can talk to him about it and get his opinion.”  _ He jumped startledly when a musical ringing and sudden vibration started up in his pocket. He pulled out his gummiphone and answered it, perking up with Ienzo's familiar face filled the screen and gave him a warm smile. “Hey, Ienzo!”

Donald and Goofy hurried over when they heard Sora mention Ienzo's name and peered over his shoulders on either side of him to join in the conversation. Ienzo gave them all a wave. “Hey, Sora! Hello, Donald and Goofy! I was just calling to give you guys a quick update.”

That grabbed Sora's attention, and he leaned closer to the phone screen. “Oh yeah? How's everything going then?” A prickle of warm familiarity swept over him as he gazed at Ienzo's face, something he assumed was a result of Roxas stirring in his mind.

Ienzo shifted the phone a bit to show a man in the background with dirty blonde hair styled in a mullet with the sides shaved. “Things are going well enough so far. Should be even better now that Demyx is helping me out. He's been helping to look for a Replica body I can work with.”

Demyx hurried over when he heard his name mentioned and waved eagerly at the phone with a bright, cheerful grin. “Hey, Sora! Remember me?”

Sora chuckled as the warm, familiar feeling intensified. “I sure do, Demyx! I'm a little surprised to see you suddenly working with us for a change, but then I guess you were never interested in fighting huh?”

Demyx laughed and shook his head. “Hell nah! Man, I just wanna chill around and play my music is all. But then I overheard that you were planning on bringing my little brother back and I wanted to see what I could do to help. Then Ienzo here mentioned needing a body for him so I've been looking into that. Been a bust so far, but I'm still looking.”

Sora gave an amused grin. “Well we sure appreciate the help.” He paused for a moment as he felt a slight tugging in his mind, his smile softening. “Roxas wants me to tell you 'hi' for him and that he appreciates the help too.”

Ienzo perked up and leaned closer attentively. “You mean you can communicate with him? Fascinating... Is this a new development?” He reached over and gently patted Demyx's shoulder when he heard a soft sniffle coming from him.

Sora nodded and told him about his experience with Roxas back in Twilight Town which led to the two being able to communicate within Sora's mind. As he talked, Ienzo listened closely and took down notes.

Demyx scratched at his head in thought as he listened to the story, trying to process everything. “Whoa... So he's seeing and hearing everything you do? Weird... Hey! I wonder if he recognizes us!”

Sora laughed as he nodded. “He does, yes. And he remembers his time with you back in the Organization. He misses you guys...” 

Demyx scrubbed an arm quickly across his cheeks with a subtle sniffle. “We miss him too. And we're working our butts off to get a body for him so he can come back.”

Ienzo squeezed Demyx's shoulder and nodded in confirmation. “I echo those sentiments. Demyx is still searching for a usable body and I'm trying my best to decode Ansem the Wise's notes in case we have to build one from scratch.”

Sora grinned at them. “Well let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I wanna do what I can, if anything, to bring him back as soon as possible.”

Ienzo gave a warm smile in reply. “Right now I have Demyx and those three kids from Twilight Town helping me out, but if there's anything we need from you I'll be sure to let you know. And I'll keep you posted on our progress. I think everything is about as covered as it can get, though.”

Sora nodded in acknowledgment. “Alright, sounds good. Best of luck to you guys.”

After the two groups said their goodbyes to each other, Sora and Ienzo hung up their respective phones. Donald and Goofy turned their attention to Sora inquisitively. “So where're we headed next then, Sora? Ya still don't have the Power of Waking...”, Goofy mused aloud.

Sora pouted up at him. “You had to remind me...” He relaxed back into his chair and crossed his arms across his chest as he thought about the next move. “Well... I guess we just keep visiting more worlds for now until we can bring Roxas back and get the Power of Waking...”

Donald crossed his own arms and tapped a foot on the floor. “So which world are we going to next?”

The boy pulled up a list of available worlds and looked them over thoughtfully, focusing in on one called The Kingdom of Corona. “Well we haven't been to this one yet... Let's see what we can find there!” With a grin, he set a course for it and started the Highwind moving towards their next destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying the ride so far! Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think! Until next time! ^_^


	3. Interlude and Respite (Kingdom of Corona)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After journeying through another world with still no success at retrieving his Power of Waking, Sora decides to return home for a bit to visit his mother and regain his equilibrium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me awhile to finish, but it is at least much longer than the last two. I really enjoyed writing it as well. Hope you enjoy reading it! ^_^

Watching Rapunzel mourn over Flynn Rider's lifeless body had likely been one of the most painful experiences Sora had had in his young life, especially with Roxas's grief feeding into his own. Just seeing a friend of his crying over the body of another friend was enough to tear at Sora's heartstrings in an almost unbearable way, but there was something about it that had set Roxas off as well. As if he'd been through the same thing, but couldn't fully remember it even if enough of a memory remained to tell him that it had happened. Roxas had lost someone very important to him, Sora had no doubt. The feeling of it still had him shaken up, even several hours later in the safety of his gummiship and in spite of Flynn's revival through Rapunzel's healing magic. He wasn't the only one shaken either.

_“Roxas... Are you okay...?”_ , Sora timidly queried to his Nobody. He curled up his chair and wrapped his arms around his chest in a self-hug, hoping the gesture might somehow be able to soothe Roxas in any capacity.

After a few silent moments, he could hear a reply, though Roxas's voice was quiet and conspicuously shaky in its tone.  _“No... I don't think I am... I'm... I'm missing someone... Somebody important... But I don't know who it is... Just that they were everything to me... And they loved seashells...”_

Sora listened intently.  _“Seashells huh...? Well... I know a good place to find those. Maybe we could swing by and pick some up. Don't worry, Roxas. We'll figure out who this person is. I bet Ienzo could piece it all together.”_

Roxas considered that for a short time, his distress slowly starting to ease off.  _“Yeah... Okay... We should try asking him then if you really think he can help. Thanks, Sora...”_

_“Anytime at all. That's what friends are for.”_ He smiled to himself and started to mull over where the group should head next. When he thought about his suggestion to Roxas, the urge to visit home nearly overwhelmed him. Turning to Donald and Goofy, he hesitantly ventured his suggestion. “So... I was thinking... We've been traveling and trying to unlock this Power of Waking for quite awhile now... What do you guys say to taking a small break?”

Donald puffed up and seemed ready to object when Goofy laid a calming hand on the mage's shoulder and interceded. “Ya know, that's not a bad idea. We ain't had much luck so far. Maybe a break and a chance to recharge our batt'ries is just what we need to turn that around. What'd ya have in mind, Sora?”

Clearly overruled, Donald glanced between his two companions for a moment before deflating and relaxing his stance with a sigh. “I suppose Goofy's right... So where to?”

Sora gave them both a bright, grateful grin. “Thanks guys! I was thinking of visiting home... It's been awhile since I've been back to the Destiny Islands... I'm sure my mom's worried, and I miss her... Plus, I think meeting her and getting a chance to relax on the islands would be good for Roxas.”

Goofy chuckled his signature laugh. “Well then what're we waitin' for?! Let's go!”

Sora gave a cheer as he messed with the ship's controls and set a course for Destiny Islands. Once his companions were safely seated back in their chairs, he set the ship in motion along his plotted course and stretched with a yawn, relaxing back into his own seat. “I'm going home...”

A few hours later, Sora was bringing the Highwind down to land on a large open patch of ground not far from his home. As he disembarked with his friends, a middle-aged woman with tied-back, shoulder length brown hair and bright blue eyes hurried over to them and enveloped him in a tight hug. Sora wasted no time in returning the embrace as he nuzzled her shoulder. “Hi, Mama.”

The woman pulled back a small fraction and smiled warmly down at her son as she affectionately brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Welcome home, Sora. It's so good to have you back. I take it you three are just here for a visit?”

Sora nodded with a sheepish, apologetic smile. “Yeah... Sorry, Mama. You remember Donald and Goofy, right? The friends I've been traveling with?”

Goofy tipped his hat and bowed his head. “Pleasure to see ya again, Miss Ame, Ma'am.”

Ame giggled and inclined her head to return the bow. “It's wonderful to see you both as well! Would you boys like something to eat?” All three of them gave eager nods and followed her up to the house.

As the group settled in around the table and ate together, Sora caught his mother up on what had happened during their time adventuring which involved trying to explain Roxas to her. “So there's basically another person living inside you who's a part of you but also his own person at the same time?”

Sora nodded. “Basically, yeah. That's a super simplified explanation, but technically accurate. A couple of acquaintances of ours are working on getting a body for him so he can be a separate person again.”

Ame frowned thoughtfully as her head tilted inquisitively. “You can do that? I never knew such a thing was possible...”

Sora shrugged with a chuckle. “I didn't either until recently, but yeah it apparently is. From what I understand, all they have to do is get a body and then find a way to separate out his Heart and memories from mine before transferring them to the new body. Then he'll fully be his own person again.”

Ame hesitated briefly as she considered that information. “That... Will that be dangerous for you, though?”

After thinking it over while he ate, Sora shook his head. “Nah, I wouldn't think so. Ienzo and Demyx don't seem like the type who would risk putting me through any dangerous procedures, especially not without making sure I understand the risks first. And neither of them have said anything about it so far.”

The reassurance helped ease Ame's misgivings, and she gave an assenting nod. “Alright then. As long as it's safe.” She smiled and ruffled her son's hair affectionately, earning a bout of laughter from him. “I expect you to bring him back here once he's got a body of his own so I can meet my second son.”

Sora giggled and nodded as he fixed his hair. “I will, Mama. Promise.” He finished off his food contently, slightly surprised but enjoying the warm, stunned awe he could feel emanating from Roxas.

_“Is this... what it's like to have a mom...? Does she really consider me a son already when she hasn't even met me yet?”_

Stretching with a yawn and relaxing back into his chair with his hands laced behind his head, Sora gave a mental nod in reply. _“Yep, this is what having a mom is like. She's just kinda like that. She's pretty much always considered Riku and Kairi to be like her kids too, since they're my best friends. We all grew up together, so it kinda makes sense I guess. But you're a part of me so it only makes sense that she considers you her son too.”_

Roxas was quiet for awhile as he mulled that over. _“I think... I really like having a mom... You're really lucky, Sora.”_

Sora laughed internally. _“Me? She's your mom too now. You know what that means right? That makes us brothers pretty much officially.”_

 _“Brothers...? Us...?”_ Sora could practically see Roxas grinning in his mind. _“I think I'm gonna like having you for a brother, Sora. Thank you...”_

_“Ah, you don't have to thank me for that. You're a part of me. I considered you my brother from the moment I found out about you.”_

_“Really...? I... I'm glad to hear that...”_ After a moment, he ventured to ask, _“Hey, Sora...? While we're here... Would we be able to collect some seashells...?”_

Sora smiled to himself as he stood and collected the dishes after everyone finished eating. _“Yeah, of course! I wanna go out surfing too while we're here! I think you'll love it. I actually haven't gone in a long time. Not since Dad passed away...”_

He could feel Roxas's cold bolt of shock flood over him as he washed the dishes. _“You... lost your dad...?”_

Shrugging mentally, Sora focused on scrubbing the dishes thoroughly. _“It happened several years ago now. He went out with a few other guys to go fishing and they got caught in a sudden storm. Only a couple of them made it back, clinging to some scraps of wood from the boat to help keep their heads up out of the water. My dad was one of the ones lost out there.”_

Roxas's presence seemed to grow smaller, as if he were trying to shrink into himself. _“I'm sorry... That's a horrible thing to go through... I remember how lost and scared I felt when I thought Axel was never coming back... For awhile, we all thought he'd been destroyed during a mission to some place called Castle Oblivion... He was all I had then. I hadn't gotten to know anyone else yet, really. I didn't know what to do...”_

Sora listened attentively as he rinsed the clean dishes and set them in the dying rack by the sink. _“It is terrible, and I did feel lost and scared... But I'm okay now. I had Mom and my friends to help me get through it. I'm sorry you didn't have anyone to help you...”_

He felt Roxas shrug. _“I think I made a friend because of it. And he came back in the end anyways, so it's fine. I got past that a long time ago. I just... wish I could see him again... It feels like a lifetime ago since we last talked... or had ice cream together...”_

_“Don't worry. You'll see him again soon. I know you will. Ienzo and Demyx are working as hard as they can, and I bet the time'll pass before you know it. Until then, I'll try and keep you distracted so the wait doesn't feel so long.”_

Roxas chuckled quietly. _“I look forward to that, and I appreciate it. Thanks...”_

Sora smiled to himself as he packed up the leftovers and stashed them in the fridge, glancing over to where his mom was talking with Donald and Goofy nearby. _“Hey, no worries. That's what brothers are for. Now let's go find some seashells!”_

After checking in with the others, Sora ran up to his room to change into a pair of swim trunks and grab a pail to put the collected shells in. Once he was ready, he ran out to the beach, enjoying feeling the warm, soft sand under his bare feet again after so long. Reaching the colder, damp sand, he wandered idly along the tide line and looked over the shells he came across. He inspected each of them carefully and gently placed the intact ones into the carrying pail he'd brought, setting the broken ones back in the sand for the sea to reclaim. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he gazed over the Thalassa Shell he'd picked up, and it took him a moment to realize that the burning tightness in his throat and stinging in his eyes were actually coming from Roxas who was expressing his grief the only way he could.

As Sora wiped at his cheeks, Roxas mumbled a shaky apology. _“I'm... I'm sorry, Sora... It's just... Someone gave me one of those... Someone really important, I think... And I think... I think I lost them after that... It was all I had left of them...”_

Sora shook his head and wrapped his arms around himself in a hug, trying to comfort his Other. _“You don't have to apologize for that. It isn't your fault. Don't ever apologize for your feelings or for expressing them. Just because you can only express them through me doesn't mean you should hold them back, and I don't want you to. It isn't healthy.”_ He very carefully laid the shell in the pail with the rest and looked around for some more. Once the bucket was full, he carried it back to the house and set it on the front porch so he could rinse the shells off later. He made sure they were safely tucked out of the way before wandering to the shed that was set up towards the back of the house and opening it up.

On instinct, he grabbed his own board first before quickly realizing that it would be too small for him.”Well this isn't going to work... I'd never be able to stay up on this...” Making a mental note to find someone to give it to at another time, he tucked it away and glanced over at his father's old surfboard. It hadn't been touched in many years aside from occasional maintenance, but was still in good condition. Tentatively, he pulled it out and was thrown to realize that it was just the right size for him now when just a few years ago it had seemed gigantic. Dusting it off, he laid it out on the work table and grabbed a bar of wax that he started rubbing carefully over the board just like his dad had taught him to do as a child. Once it was thoroughly cleaned and waxed up, he carried it down to the beach after closing up the shed.

He set it in the water and boarded it, paddling out to deeper water and enjoying the feeling of being out on a board again. “I can't believe I ever stopped doing this...” Sitting up on the board, he glanced out on the horizon and scoped out the waves building up in the hopes of finding some big ones. He was vaguely aware of the voices from his mother, Donald, and Goofy coming from the beach, but kept his focus on the water. One thing he'd always been told before going near the ocean was to pay close attention to it at all times to avoid being caught off guard. The sea could be a tricky and dangerous thing.

Sora made it out a fair distance from shore before he took another pause to sit up and scan the skyline. He leaned forward and dipped one of his arms back in the water after a moment, closing his eyes and focusing on the feel of the water dragging around it. Roxas observed all of this from Sora's mind with intense curiosity. _“Whatcha doin'?”_

Chuckling quietly, Sora moved out a bit further and swung the board around. _“Waiting for a good wave. It's a lot harder to find when you rely on just your eyes, so I like to feel out how the water's moving as well. I can usually get a good sense for when a big wave's building up by how the water surges. Hang on tight!”_

He got to his feet carefully to crouch on the board just a wave swept up under it and started carrying him along. Laughing and cheering, he leaned forward and rocketed down the wave before swinging around just before he hit the bottom of it. The momentum carried him up and over the top of the wave, flipping him into the air where he spun a few times before landing back on his feet on the board. Seeing the top of the wave curl over and start to form a tunnel, he crouched down to gain speed as he headed into it. He grazed his hands along each side of the wall as he sailed through the tunnel, gazing around it in awed contentment. He'd seen the sight many times since he started learning to surf, but it always took his breath away.

Roxas watched and felt it all through Sora, laughing in delight. _“This is amazing! You_ _have_ _to teach me how to do this properly once I get my own body!”_

Sora laughed with him and closed his eyes briefly to bask in the breeze hitting his face.  _ “Oh, I will for sure! This and sailing. The two most essential skills of any good islander. I'll make a sea-lover out of you yet.” _

Roxas chuckled warmly.  _ “Well you won't have to work very hard at that. I already love the sea. I would definitely love to learn how to surf and sail, though. I look forward to it.” _

They spent the next several hours catching wave after wave with Sora's tricks getting more elaborate once he warmed himself up. Sora was forced to take them back in to shore once the sun started going down, though.  _ “Surfing at night can be very dangerous unless you have a decent light source nearby and you really know what you're doing. It's hard to see what the waves are doing or any hazards that might be in the water.” _ , he explained to Roxas as he paddled them back.

Ame met him on the shore with a smile and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. “You looked good out there. It's good to see your skills are still sharp. Did you and Roxas have fun?”

Sora dried himself off and nodded happily. “We sure did! I'd almost forgotten how much fun surfing is...”

Ame smiled wistfully as she fluffed her son's hair affectionately. “It's been a long time... Not that I mind in the slightest, but what brought this on?”

Sora leaned into her hands and closed his eyes contently. “I just thought Roxas could use a bit of fun, and this was the first thing I thought of. I'm gonna teach him how to do it himself once he gets his body back. I think he'd like sailing too.”

Ame chuckled warmly and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Sounds like you two have some big plans. I'll have to see about getting you a boat. In the meantime, how about some dinner? I bet you're pretty hungry after all that time in the water.”

Just at that moment, Sora's stomach gave an audible growl which prompted a sheepish chuckle from him. “Yeah, I'm starving.”

The pair made their way to the house where they cleaned the sand off themselves before going inside. In the kitchen, Donald and Goofy were finishing dinner preparations with Donald setting the table while Goofy took care of the cooking. Goofy welcomed them with a tip of his hat. “Yer both just in time! It's almost ready.”

They sat down as Donald and Goofy started moving the finished food over to the table before seating themselves as well, Ame giving them a grateful smile. “Thank you both for this. It's been a long time since I had anyone else make dinner for me, but I appreciate it very much.”

Goofy chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly. “Aw, it's no trouble. It's the least we can do to thank ya for lettin' us impose on ya for awhile.”

Ame shook her head as they all dug in. “You don't have to thank me. This is my son's home. He's obviously welcome here anytime, and so are his friends. If anything, I owe you and Donald for looking after him on his adventures.”

Goofy waved a hand idly. “Well we certainly couldn't just leave 'im on his own. Sora's a good kid. Kinda reminds me of my own boy Maxie, 'cept Maxie's all grown up now.”

Ame nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. I still appreciate it, though. It means the world to me that you make sure my son always comes home safely.”

Sora chuckled and rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Don't worry, Mama. I can handle myself alright. And these two help me out a lot.”

Ame smoothed her son's hair back fondly and gave him a warm smile. “Oh, I know you can take care of yourself. But just because it's not necessary for me to worry doesn't mean that I don't worry. I worry for you all the time. That's a mother's job, whether it's necessary or not.”

Sora leaned into her hand and smiled back up at her. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Mama...”

The four slipped into idle conversation regarding Sora's previous adventures as well as his current journey while they ate their food. After they finished their meal, Sora and his mother worked together on washing the dishes before joining Donald and Goofy in the living room to continue their chatting in a more comfortable spot.

Eventually the talking turned into playing card and board games until they all grew drowsy and decided to call it a night. After a goodnight kiss on the forehead from his mom, Sora got ready for sleep and crawled into his bed, stretching with a yawn as he stared out his window at the moonlit sea for awhile until he slowly drifted off to sleep.


	4. Truimphant Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas finally makes his grand appearance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My son is officially back for real! XD I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^

Sora, Donald, and Goofy ended up staying on Destiny Island for about a few days before they had to get back to the mission at hand. Having taken very strongly to island living, Roxas felt just as homesick as Sora when they boarded the Highwind and prepared to depart. He'd really enjoyed lounging in the sun on the beach, searching for seashells, and playing in the water, and he looked forward to getting his own body again so he could go back to it someday. In the meantime, he decided to content himself with being able to go on adventures and see new places with Sora on his journey.

The group's next stop was in a world called Monstropolis, which turned out to be very different from most of the other worlds they'd seen before since it was full of monsters. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had even been turned into monsters themselves upon arriving on the world's surface, and Roxas couldn't help but wonder what he would've ended up looking like if he could be there physically. As intimidating as they'd looked, Mike and Sully had actually been very kind and welcoming once the trio had introduced themselves. Roxas and Sora were both immediately enchanted by Boo, the young human girl who was there to play with Mike and Sully, which turned into a mission to get her back home once Unversed started showing up. Thereafter followed a hectic run through the factory they'd landed at and some run-ins with a monster named Randal as well and more Unversed. In the end, it turned out that Vanitas had orchestrated it all. He had tried to pull someone named Ventus out from Sora's Heart, but was promptly thwarted by Sully, to Sora and Roxas's intense amusement.

Back on the Highwind, Sora curled up in his chair and tried to figure out what else he could possibly do to trigger his Power of Waking since he'd been unsuccessful so far. He was so lost in thought that he nearly jumped out of his skin when his gummiphone started ringing. He pulled it out and answered it, slightly surprised to see Ienzo's face come into view. “Oh! Hey, Ienzo! What's up?”

Ienzo greeted him with a warm smile and friendly wave. “Hey there, Sora. I was just calling to tell you the good news.”

Donald and Goofy hurried over, standing on either side of Sora to listen in. Sora's head tilted to the side inquisitively. “Oh? What's the good news then?”

Demyx ran over, skidding into frame. “Oh! Can I tell him?! Please?! Can I?!” He bounced up and down in uncontained excitement, clapping his hands.

Everyone laughed as Ienzo nodded with a shrug. “Sure, Demyx. Go ahead.” He angled the phone to include Demyx in the frame more easily.

Demyx hopped closer, still bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I managed to find a spare Replica! I brought it back to Ienzo who managed to fix it up. It's all ready for Roxas now! We can bring him back!”

Sora sat bolt upright in his chair, staring with wide eyes at the phone in his hand. “Wait really?! We can finally bring him back?”

Ienzo nodded with a grin. “We sure can! Just come on by the lab here in Radiant Garden whenever you're ready to make the transfer. There's more too, though.”

Sora frowned in confusion. “More...? What else is going on? Anything I should be worried about?”

Ienzo chuckled and shook his head, quick to reassure the group that nothing was amiss. “No, nothing of the sort. Just a couple of things I thought you should be informed of, but no cause for concern. The first thing is that Demyx didn't just find a Replica. He also managed to find Ansem the Wise as well and brought him here. He's been helping out with the whole process recently. The other thing is that I managed to decipher his code, ironically just before he arrived himself. He was at least able to verify that my interpretations were correct.”

“I'm glad to hear he's safe! So, what did his code say? I'm guessing it must be something pretty important right?”

“I'd say it's pretty important, yes. He apparently found three Hearts residing within you, in addition to your own. One of them is obviously Roxas. The second one has been joined to you for roughly the same amount of time, but has yet to be identified. The third has been with you for far longer. Nearly your whole life. The bond was formed when you were very young.”

Sora gasped as a jolt of realization hit him. “Ventus! It must be Ventus! We ran into Vanitas when we were in Monstropolis and he said something about a boy named Ventus forming a bond with me when I was little. The third Heart's gotta be him!”

Ienzo frowned thoughtfully and rubbed his chin as he contemplated that. “Hmm... Well I suppose that does make sense, yes. It likely is him then, if that's the case. We can always try to confirm it when you get here.”

Sora nodded with a grin. “Sounds good. We're on our way there right now, and should reach it shortly.”

Demyx grinned and flashed him a jaunty thumbs-up. “Great! Hurry so we can bring my little brother back!”

Sora laughed and nodded his acknowledgment. “You got it, Demyx! We'll be there as soon as possible.”

After the respective groups said their goodbyes and hung up their phones, Donald and Goofy rushed back to their seats as Sora set their course for Radiant Garden and hurried the ship on its way. Roxas and Sora's nervous energies feed off of each other in a perpetual loop, causing Sora to fidget anxiously nearly the whole trip there. It was only Sora's words to him from their first day in Destiny Islands that kept Roxas from constantly apologizing, though it also slightly helped reassure him to feel Sora's own nervousness. He probably would've been fidgeting anyways, even without Roxas adding to it, though it was because of Roxas that they were making this trip in the first place. Roxas eventually gave up on trying to reason it out, if only to keep from accidentally giving Sora a headache while he was trying to fly.

As soon as they landed in the courtyard outside of Ienzo's lab, the group hurried to disembark the ship and were met with Ienzo and Demyx themselves who had come to greet them in person. Demyx grinned and swept Sora into a tight hug. “There's my little brothers!”

Sora squirmed and laughed breathlessly as he batted at Demyx's shoulder lightly. “Choking! Not breathing!”

Demyx quickly set him back down and chuckled as he rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Whoops... Sorry, Sora...”

Sora shook his head with a grin. “It's alright, I know you're excited.” He chuckled and gave Demyx a hug of his own. “Good to see you again. I'm glad you're on our side this time.”

Demyx laughed and ruffled his hair. “Believe me, so am I.”

Ienzo chuckled and gave Sora's shoulder a friendly pat. “I'm glad you made it here safely. Are you ready to bring Roxas back?”

Sora nodded eagerly and smiled. “You bet I am! So uh... How does that work exactly? It's not dangerous, is it?”

Ienzo shook his head with a reassuring smile. “Not at all. We merely have to find where he's residing within you and draw him out so we can transfer him over to his new body. It's fairly simple according to Professor Ansem, and he's the expert on this sort of thing. He assured me that it was completely safe.” He guided the group into the lab and down to one of the operation rooms where a Replica body was laid out in a medical chair.

Ansem the Wise greeted them as they arrived. “Welcome, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. It is good to see you all again. I'm glad you're well.”

Sora smiled as he returned the greeting. “It's good to see you too. Thank you for helping us out with this. It means a lot to us.”

Ansem nodded solemnly. “It's really the least I can do. I have much to atone for in regards to how I treated Roxas, but I figured this would make for a good start. Shall we begin?”

Sora nodded happily and was settled into a second chair with Ienzo's help as Ansem started preparing the equipment. Donald and Goofy sat themselves a couple of extra chairs against a wall along with Demyx who all watched the proceedings with nervous curiosity. Once the equipment was ready, Ansem started transferring Roxas's Heart from Sora into the Replica body laying in the chair next to him with Ienzo monitoring Sora's vital signs carefully.

Mere minutes later, the transfer was complete and the equipment was shut down. Ienzo checked Sora over again and was pleased to see everything looking normal. Satisfied that Sora wasn't adversely affected by the process, he checked on Roxas next. Sora hopped out of his chair and stood next to Ienzo, watching curiously as the Replica body transformed from a featureless doll into a boy roughly Sora's age with spiky blonde hair and wearing the signature Organization XIII coat. Demyx, Donald, Goofy, and Ansem joined them at Roxas's side to wait for him to wake up. Ansem glanced across at Ienzo from where he stood on the other side of the chair. “Everything went successfully?”

Ienzo measured Roxas's vital signs again and nodded in confirmation. “Yes, Sir. Everything looks normal and is holding steady. He should be waking up at any moment.”

As if to prove him right, Roxas's hands twitched and flexed, his brow scrunching in a grimace as he groaned softly. His head shifted from side to side as he fought to wake himself up, his eyes blinking and squinting groggily when he finally succeeded. He gazed around in confusion at the crowd of people surrounding him, lingering on the two faces that were immediately familiar to him. “Z... Zexion...? Demyx...?”

Demyx laughed and grabbed him in a hug. “Welcome back, Lil' Bro!” He loosened his grip to let Roxas breathe and ruffled his hair affectionately.

Ienzo chuckled in amusement as he watched and nodded. “It's us, though I technically go by 'Ienzo' these days. It's good to have you back, Roxas. How're you feeling?”

Roxas swatted lightly at Demyx's ruffling hands with a giggle and thought the question over briefly, taking inventory on himself, before giving a shrug. “I feel fine. Pretty groggy still, like I just woke up from an extra long nap, but that's about it.”

Ienzo nodded thoughtfully as he wrote down some notes before giving Roxas a reassuring smile. “I believe that's fairly normal, considering the circumstances. Essentially, you were asleep for quite awhile, adrift inside Sora's Heart. He was quite adamant about bringing you back with a body of your own. We all worked to make it happen, and now here you are.”

Roxas sat up fully and took another look at the people surrounding him before giving them a grateful smile. “Thanks everyone. I'm really glad to be back, and I appreciate you all helping.”

Sora shrugged with a grin. “Well I couldn't just leave you trapped once I found out you were there. I'm just glad this worked.”

Roxas slowly got to his feet with Demyx's help and gave Sora a grateful hug. “Thank you, Sora... You've done so much for me... I hope I can repay you someday for it...”

Sora patted his back and shook his head. “You don't need to. I did it because I wanted to. I want to help everyone that I can.”

Introductions were subsequently made to Ansem, Donald, and Goofy whom Roxas had never properly met before. Roxas also spent some time getting to know them and catching up with Demyx and Ienzo while getting used to being back on his feet again. Eventually, however, Sora had to get back to his mission and, after a bit of thought, Roxas decided to go with him. The two groups said their goodbyes to each other and Roxas gave Ienzo and Demyx each a farewell hug and Ansem a friendly handshake before he left with Sora, Donald, and Goofy on the Highwind towards their next destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I really hope you liked it! I'm currently working on the next chapter and hope to have it up soon. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think so far! Until next time! ^_^


	5. Reunited with an Old Friend (Arendelle)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas is finally reunited with Axel and the two start to realize that someone else is still missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited reunion happens! I can only hope I did it justice because my children deserve it. Hope you enjoy! ^_^

Arendelle had been Roxas's favorite world to visit so far. Poor Sora had been nearly frozen solid the entire time, having been used to the warmer and more tropical climate of Destiny Islands. Roxas, on the other hand, had spent most of his time in the far more temperate Twilight Town and handled the cold temperatures a lot better. He'd also marveled at experiencing snow for the first time in his life. His enthusiasm for it must have been contagious because Sora couldn't seem to help joining in on his games, the pair of them often lobbing snowballs at each other even as they were working to help Elsa and her sister Anna. Flying down the mountain on Goofy's shield had been another highlight for Roxas, though that had been as terrifying as it was fun. Eventually, though, their adventure was finished and the group returned to the gummiship, Sora and Roxas frozen stiff but laughing in glee.

As the quartet settled into their chairs and tried to warm themselves up, they started pondering over where to go next since Arendelle had also failed to yield any results for regaining Sora's lost powers. Sora pulled the Wayfinder that Kairi had given him out of the pocket he kept it in and stared at it as he curled up in his chair, hoping it might give him some inspiration. Glancing between it and Roxas, something suddenly occurred to him. “Hey, Roxas... You're friends with Axel right?”

Roxas perked up at the name and nodded in confirmation. “Yeah! He took care of me back when we were with the Organization. Why do you ask?”

Sora gave him a grin. “I know where he is. He's training with my friend Kairi right now. I was just thinking... Why don't we go and pay them a visit?” I bet Axel would be really glad to have you back!”

Giving a bright grin in return, Roxas nodded eagerly. “Yeah, let's go!

Before the two could make any further plans, Donald interjected. “Sora! You still need to find the Power of Waking! Besides, you don't even know where they're training at!”

Sora thought about that for a moment before shrugging, refusing to let it dampen his excitement. “It's easy enough to find out. I bet Master Yen Sid knows where they're training. And they're training under Merlin! I bet he could maybe give some advice on how to get the Power of Waking back. It can't hurt to ask right?”

Goofy sat back in his chair, tapping his chin thoughtfully for a moment before nodding in agreement. “Sora has a point there, Donald. We haven't had much luck on our own so it can't hurt to try askin' someone else. And Merlin's s'pposed to be real wise. 'Sides, Roxas hasn't gotten to see his friend Axel in quite awhile. We should give 'im a chance to.”

Donald deflated with a sigh and sat back in his chair shrugging. “Okay, I guess you're right... So how do we get a hold of Master Yen Sid?”

Sora thought the question over. “Well... I don't think he has a gummiphone... so I guess we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way and find his tower.” He summoned his Keyblade and held it aloft, closing his eyes as he focused on picturing Yen Sid in his mind and willed the Keyblade to guide them to the wizard's elusive tower. Slowly, a portal started to form and open in front of the gummiship which drew a cheer from the group. Sora promptly dismissed his Keyblade and sat back in his chair, guiding the ship into and through the portal.

A short while later, the Highwind was landing on a flat patch of ground outside Master Yen Sid's tower and the group was heading up to meet him. He bade them to enter when Sora knocked on the door and greeted them with a nod. “Welcome, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Sora, I see you've made yet another new friend?”

Sora nodded and laid an arm around Roxas's shoulders. “I did, Sir. This is Roxas. Roxas, this is Master Yen Sid. He was King Mickey's teacher a long time ago, and he's helped me a lot too.”

Roxas relaxed marginally at Sora's close proximity and took a timid step forward, giving a polite bow as a greeting. “It's good to meet you, Sir.”

Master Yen Sid gave him a nod and reclined against the backrest of his chair, stroking his beard in an almost idle fashion. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Young Roxas.”

Roxas perked up at the wizard's choice of words, tilting his head curiously. “Were... Were you expecting to meet me, Sir? It almost sounds that way.”

Yen Sid gave a low chuckle as he regarded the young blonde. “Your friend Lea has told us all a great deal about you. Though, I suppose you'd be more familiar with his other name Axel.”

Sora ventured a couple steps closer. “Actually, Axel is why we're here. I know he and Kairi are training with Merlin, but I'm not sure where Merlin took them for his training. I was hoping you could tell me. I'd like Roxas to be able to see his friend again.”

“It is a place called The Secret Forest. Time's flow has been altered there, thanks to the help of the three Good Faeries. It's a place that is very well hidden and difficult to find, making it a perfect training ground. However, I think that with Roxas's help, you just might be able to find your way there.”

Roxas frowned in confusion, scratching his head. “Me? But I don't know the first thing about this place. How am I supposed to help find it, Sir?”

The elderly wizard chuckled again. “I'll give you the same advice I give Sora for all of his adventures, Young Man. Let your Heart be your guiding Key. Trust your Heart, and it will always get you where you need to go. You may not know anything about the place Merlin took your friend to train, but you do know your friend. Probably better than anyone else does. I'm afraid that's all the information I am able to give you, but I'm sure you can figure everything out with that.”

After the group said their farewells to the Master, they traveled back to their Gummi Ship and prepared to set off again. Meanwhile, Roxas kept pondering the wizard's words. “Let my Heart be my guiding Key...? What's that supposed to mean?”

Sora rested his chin on a curled fist as he thought it over. “Well... We can always try what I do. I hold my Keyblade and then really focus on the person or place I'm trying to find. That's how we managed to get here, actually. Master Yen Sid's tower moves around a lot and is usually very hard to find, but when I thought hard about him and how badly I needed to find him, a portal opened up and brought me here. Maybe if you think really hard about Axel, the same kind of thing'll happen again. Worth a try, at any rate.”

Roxas nodded before hesitating. “Umm... But I have two Keyblades now... Which one do I use...?”

Sora tilted his head and scratched his cheek, brow scrunched as he thought it over. Eventually, he relaxed his stance and shrugged. “Might as well try using both of them at the same time. That's right, I kinda forgot you could dual-wield...”

Summoning both Oathkeeper and Oblivion into his hands, Roxas held them in a firm grip and raised them aloft when Sora bade him to. Closing his eyes, he pictured Axel in his mind and focused on his memories of them together. Paired missions, conversations and ice cream under sunsets on top of Twilight Town's clock-tower, and idle moments of goofing around in the castle with Demyx, Luxord, or Xigbar all flew through his memories and warmed him inside. He realized then just how badly he missed the friend he'd subconsciously come to think of as the closest thing to a father he'd ever known. Though he couldn't see it, a portal opened up in front of the ship and Sora wasted no time accelerating into it.

A short journey later, they found themselves flying over a new world that none of them had ever seen before, and all of them were on the lookout for a place to land. They eventually found a clearing large enough to land the gummiship in safely and brought it down, poking their heads out of the doorway to look around outside. Sora was the first to disembark with Roxas following close behind him as Donald and Goofy trailed after them. Goofy scratched his head as they all took in the surrounding forest. “Gawrsh... Do you think this is the right place?”

Sora shook his head with a shrug. “I dunno... I mean, the place we're looking for is called The Secret Forest, and this place is one gigantic forest, and seems pretty secret-y. It's gotta be it, right?”

Roxas gazed around the woods before casting Sora a sidelong glance. “Not to be a downer or anything, but... I'm pretty sure there's lots of worlds with lots of forests that are more or less secret... How can we really be sure this is the right one? I mean, there doesn't seem to be anyone around...”

Sora smiled at him. “Just trust me. I got a really good feeling about this place. It's gotta be the right one. Now let's get looking for them while we still have daylight to see by.”

The foursome set off into the trees, keeping an eye out for any signs of human life as they traveled. Roxas relaxed and gazed around serenely, feeling completely at home in the forest that had swallowed them. He seemed to be the only one, too, since Sora, Donald, and Goofy were all tense and constantly looking around themselves in a wary fashion. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and let his nose and ears take stock of his surroundings in a way his eyes couldn't.

He was flooded with the sounds of birdsong and the rustling of leaves and bushes as various animals moved and scurried about. The smells damp earth and loam, wet leaves, and fresh air filled his head as a breeze hit his face. His eyes snapped open as he caught the faintest hint of a familiar voice in the distance and rushed off into the trees to follow it. Sora, Donald, and Goofy hurried after him, not wanting to get split up in the seemingly endless woodlands.

Sora rushed ahead as he heard Kairi's voice and found himself in a clearing, Kairi and Axel staring at him in surprise from the log they'd been sitting and talking on. He was suddenly bowled over when Donald and Goofy collided with him, unprepared for his sudden stop, drawing laughter from them all.

Roxas watched from where he hung back in the shadows of the trees bordering the clearing, his gaze locked on Axel. Aware that they hadn't parted on good terms and now suddenly face-to-face with him, Roxas was hesitant about actually approaching him.

Axel helped Sora up from the dogpile he'd ended up in and looked him over curiously. “You okay there, Sora? What brings you here? No one told us you were coming by.”

Sora chuckled and gave him a smile. “I'm fine. I came by 'cause I have a surprise for you! Looks like he's being a bit shy at the moment, though...”

“A surprise? For me? What kind of surprise is it...?” He made a mental note of Sora's use of the word 'he' and grew even more curious, watching bemusedly as Sora ran over to the trees he'd emerged from and attempted to drag something or someone out of them. A black gloved hand was tugged forward, followed by a black sleeved arm which was then followed by a teenaged boy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. A face Axel could never forget. “R... Roxas...?”

Roxas stumbled forward and froze on the spot, staring at Axel with wide eyes. “Axel...” He stood rooted in place as Axel's shocked gaze bored holes in his own, tremors running through his paralyzed body. It was a tear running down one of Axel's cheeks that sent Roxas stumbling forward, running to tackle his fiery-haired friend in a tight hug.

Seeing Roxas move towards him, Axel quickly knelt down to match his height and swept him into his arms, hugging him close and burying his face in his hair as he felt Roxas nuzzling his shoulder. He felt the smaller boy trembling against him and pet his hair affectionately in an attempt to soothe his friend as he held him close. “I missed you so much, Rox...”

Roxas shuffled closer and buried his face in the crook of Axel's neck. “I missed you too... I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I left you...”

Axel pulled back just enough to wipe the tears away from Roxas's cheeks. “I forgave you a long time ago... You don't need to apologize for that. I'm just happy to have you back.” He smiled and ruffled Roxas's hair affectionately, earning a giggle from the younger boy. “You know what? I know just what'll make everything better. I'll be right back.”

As he hurried off into the trees, Roxas glanced over to where Kairi and Sora stood off to one edge of the clearing, talking quietly together. The sight of them together pierced Roxas's heart for reasons he couldn't begin to explain, even to himself, and he had to turn away. They seemed to have other plans, however, as Sora led Kairi over to him and he was forced to face them.

Sora grinned brightly. “Kairi, this is my Nobody, Roxas. We finally managed to bring him back and get him his own body. Roxas, this is Kairi, one of my best friends. We grew up together.”

As Roxas timidly extended his hand to shake Kairi's, his gaze settled on her face properly for the first time and he was struck by a vision of a girl his age who had Kairi's face and bright blue eyes but had short black hair instead of the long red hair Kairi herself had. A tear ran down his cheek as a sharp pain lanced through his heart and Kairi frowned up at him in concern, releasing his hand so he could wipe the tears away. “Are you okay, Roxas...?”

Roxas scrubbed at his cheeks and shook his head. “ 'M fine... Just got dust or somethin' in my eyes...” He turned away, not seeing the worried glance Kairi shared with Sora, and was saved from any further questioning when Axel stepped back into the clearing.

Noticing the state Roxas was in, but deciding not to comment on it at the moment, Axel wrapped an arm around the younger boy's shoulders as he addressed the rest of the group. “You guys go ahead and catch up with each other. Roxas and I have some things to talk out amongst ourselves.” He kept his arm around his friend's shoulders as he guided him off into the trees, giving them a reassuring squeeze as the pair walked silently.

They eventually came to another clearing by the edge of a cliff that overlooked an even larger expanse of forest than the one they were currently in. The sun was starting to set as they sat on the edge together, Axel silently handing Roxas a stick of sea-salt ice cream and looking him over thoughtfully. “It was Kairi wasn't it?”

Roxas took the ice cream and looked up at Axel in surprise. “Huh? Whattaya mean?”

Axel shrugged and took a bite of his own ice cream, chewing thoughtfully on it as he tried to figure out how best to explain. “I can tell you were upset by something, but you seemed alright until Kairi was talking to you. She's not really the type to hurt anyone intentionally, not without cause at least. It was seeing her face right? She reminded you of someone? Someone important that we're missing?”

Roxas stared up at him as he nodded numbly and took a bite. “Y... Yeah... I'm guessing that means the same thing happened to you right? It wasn't just the two of us, was it? There was someone else... Someone my age... Someone who looked kinda like Kairi, but had black hair... Someone who loved seashells...” Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a Thalassa Shell from an inner pocket, relieved that it was still there.

Axel nodded quietly in agreement. “So it's not just me, then... I'd thought someone was missing... But whenever I tried to look back, I only saw the two of us... But that didn't feel right...” He gave a shrug as he chuckled wryly. “Well... Nice to know I'm not going crazy, at any rate.”

Roxas chuckled with him and nibbled at his ice cream, staring at the shell in his hand. “Axel... Why do I feel so broken...?”

Sighing heavily, Axel laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, rubbing it lightly in attempt to comfort him. “Because whoever we're missing... I think they were very important to you in particular... Someone even more special to you than your other friends... What you're feeling now... That's grief, and it's normal when you lose someone who's that important to you...” He shifted closer to give Roxas a sidelong hug, ruffling the younger boy's hair when he leaned against him. “I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but... everything's gonna be okay, Rox... I'll... I'll try to find a way to make everything okay again... You're not in this alone, Bud. You've got me. And you always will.”

Roxas nodded and curled into Axel's side as the pair silently finished their ice cream, staring out at the sun setting over the woodlands and trying hard to remember anything about the friend that was lost to them.

Shortly before the sun set fully, Axel felt Roxas go slack against him and looked down to find him asleep. Chuckling quietly to himself, Axel carefully picked up his friend and carried him back to the cabin Merlin was having them stay in. Sora and Kairi hurried over to greet them, looking Roxas over worriedly.

Kairi glanced between Axel and the boy sleeping in his arms. “Is he okay, Axel...? I... I think I upset him earlier, but I don't really know how...”

Axel nodded and gave her a kind smile, adjusting his grip on Roxas so he could pat her shoulder reassuringly. “Yeah, he's fine. Just had a big day today is all. I'm sure he's still adjusting to being back in his own body again. And don't worry about upsetting him; it was nothing you did. Seeing you just reminded him of a friend we're missing. That's all.”

Before he could elaborate any further, Roxas stirred in Axel's arms just as Goofy came over to let the group know that dinner was finished. Once Roxas was back on his feet and more alert, they all assembled in the dining room to eat where Merlin joined them with a warm welcome to the newcomers. They all chattered happily with each other as they ate, catching up on what happened with each of them while they were separated and enjoying each other's company.

After dinner was finished, Merlin set the dishes to washing themselves as he prepared some extra rooms for his new guests to stay in. His tiny looking cabin turned out to be surprisingly spacious on the inside and there was plenty of room for all of them. With them all being exhausted from their respective day's events, they all decided to turn in not long after the rooms were ready. They all said their respective goodnights and crawled into their beds to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time! ^_^


	6. Training Interlude (The Secret Forest)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeing as The Secret Forest has a time scale separated from everywhere else, the gang decides to take advantage of the unlimited time to train. Axel and Sora also take the opportunity to clear the air and bond a bit, and end up remembering an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this took me 2 months to write and have no idea why it gave me so much trouble. Thankfully, I got bit by the writing bug a couple days ago and I managed to get it finished. Hope you enjoy it! ^_^

Because Sora wanted to give Roxas and Axel plenty of time to catch up and wanted to spend some time with Kairi as well, he proposed staying in The Secret Forest for awhile since the passage of time was altered there anyways. Roxas agreed and decided to take advantage of their virtually-unlimited time there, asking Merlin if he'd be able to join in on the training sessions which was happily accepted.

Axel greeted him as he joined them on the training field the next morning, happy to train with his friend but slightly confused. “Hey, Rox! You joining us? I thought you already knew how to use your Keyblade.”

Roxas shrugged, rubbing his neck. “It's been a little while so I'm probably a bit rusty. I wanna get used to fighting in my own body again before I have to actually fight something. Besides, I've never been very good with magic, and I'm hoping Merlin can help me with that.”

“I certainly can, My Boy. Always happy to take on someone interested in learning the Arcane Arts. I don't often get students wanting to learn magic.” Merlin chuckled softly to himself at Roxas's startled reaction to his sudden entrance.

After proper introductions were made, having been neglected the night before in favor of more casual conversation over dinner, Merlin decided to start the day's training off with a sparring session to gauge where his students were at in their skills. Axel squared off with Kairi first, which ended in a draw. Roxas and Axel faced each other next, with Roxas managing to gain a rather decisive victory.

While Axel went to grab a drink and sit with Sora where he was spectating with Donald and Goofy, Kairi took up position in the sparring field across from Roxas. Seeing her wielding her Keyblade in a fighting stance across from him niggled at something in Roxas's mind, but he shook it off in favor of focusing on the spar.

Kairi gave him a small smile. “Roxas... Best of luck.”

Roxas felt his breath hitch as he froze in place, tears starting to sting his eyes as his throat clenched and burned. He quickly took a deep, slightly shuddery breath and forced himself to smile back. “Th... Thanks, Kairi... You too.”

The pair charged at each other and crossed Keyblades, both throwing all their energy into the match. Each clash called to Roxas's mind another face, much the same as the one in front of him but with short black hair. Roxas knew the face, knew it was someone very important and special to him, but he couldn't put a name to it. He fought to keep the visions from overwhelming him even as he fought to keep from being overwhelmed by Kairi's attacks.

Eventually, they fought themselves to a draw and stopped to get a drink of water and catch their breath. Merlin congratulated them all on their skillful displays and handed them some Elixirs to go with their water in order to restore their energy. After a brief rest, Merlin started them on their lessons for the day with Axel and Kairi starting on a new fighting form to practice while Merlin taught Roxas more about using magic. Sora, Donald, and Goofy decided to join in too and get some practice for themselves.

Several hours later, when afternoon started fading into dusk, the group halted their lessons for the day and dispersed to rest. Donald and Goofy when to prepare dinner while Kairi and Sora went for a walk in the woods around the cabin. Left to their own devices, Axel and Roxas decided to grab some of their signature sea-salt ice cream and wandered through the woods to the cliff-side clearing they'd sat at the evening before.

Seated comfortably on the ledge together, the pair ate silently as they watched the sun set. Axel watched from the corner of his eye as Roxas finished his ice cream and curled up, hugging his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. He finished his own ice cream and mimicked a pose similar to his companion's, though a bit looser and more relaxed where Roxas seemed to be hunching in on himself.

Neither spoke as they stared each other down for several minutes. Then Roxas frowned, his brow furrowing in concentration as he tried to decide what he wanted to say. He seemed to decide as he finally spoke up. “You lied to me... Back in the Organization... How long were you lying to me...?”

Axel sighed as he rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand. “Well... It's hard to say how long exactly... A few months, I guess... I... I owe you an apology for that... I owe you much more than that, really... I'm sorry, Bud... I really am... I was only trying to protect you, to keep us together...”

Roxas gazed up at him, his frown deepening. “I... I don't think I understand... How was lying to me supposed to protect me...?”

Axel gnawed on his lip as he thought his answer over. “Well... Sometimes the truth can cause more damage than a lie would, or at least sometimes it seems that way. I wasn't sure what would happen if you'd have found out the truth about what you or... our other friend were... I thought I'd lose you both... But I lost you in the end anyways... Maybe if I had told you both the truth from the beginning... maybe I could've changed it all... I'm just glad I got you back, at least... And we'll get our other friend back too. Eventually.”

Roxas fell silent again and stared back out into the sunset, mulling over Axel's words. He still didn't really understand any of it, but he could feel that Axel had been telling the truth. He'd seen no hint of deception in his friend's face as he'd spoken so he decided to accept the explanation and hope it would make sense to him some day.

Staring back out at the sunset as well, Axel watched Roxas from the corner of his eye. “Something else is still bothering you too, isn't it. You can tell me if you want...”

Roxas glanced over at him quietly. “The sparring match with Kairi... I kept seeing a face... It looked almost like Kairi's face, but it was slightly different... And her hair was different too... Short and black... There was something about her... She was important to me... I know she was... I just can't remember her name...”

Axel shifted closer to his friend, wrapping an arm around Roxas's shoulders as the boy curled into his side. “We will find her again somehow. I'll make sure of it. I... I think I made her a promise... I promised I'd always bring her back... I have to keep my promise. I'm going to find a way to make things better again.”

Relaxing quietly into his friend's warmth, Roxas hefted a sigh and buried his face in Axel's coat. “But how...? How can things possibly be okay again when she's gone...? When I feel so broken...?”

A sigh of his own escaped Axel as he lightly stroked a hand over Roxas's hair, hoping to soothe his friend. “We'll figure it out. If Ienzo was able to bring you back from Sora, I'm sure he can bring out other friend back too somehow. I think she was connected to Sora too, though I can't fully remember...”

Roxas glanced up at Axel with wide, curious eyes, calling to the redhead's mind hundreds of conversations they had together on the clock-tower in Twilight Town. “Axel... Why do you think we can't remember? If she was so important to us, we should be able to remember her right? Why'd we forget...?”

Axel lightly patted his friend's head. “I have no idea... I've sure never heard of anything like it before. We'd probably have to ask Ienzo about it. I think he'd be most likely to know anything.”

Roxas nodded quietly in agreement when a sudden flurry of moving color caught his eye, drawing his gaze to a small patch of purple flowers growing near the base of a tree that bordered the clearing. He got up absently and wandered over to the flowers, crouching in front of them and stroking the petals lightly with his fingertips. “What kind of flowers are these, Axel? Do you know?”

Axel walked over to join him and inspected them for a moment before answering his friend's question. “I believe these are called Tatarian Asters, if I'm identifying them right. In flower language, I think they mean 'I won't forget you' or something like that, a flower of remembrance. Some places also call them the Shione Flower.” He was startled when his friend suddenly hunched in on himself, clutching his head with a cry of pain. “Rox?! What's wrong, Bud? You okay?” He laid a hand on Roxas's shoulder and looked him over, trying to figure out what could have put him in such a state.

Roxas tugged at his hair briefly and shook his head to try and clear the pain away from it. “Xion! That was her name, Axel! Her name was Xion!” He choked on a sob as he curled up, hugging himself tightly. “My most important person... My Xion... How could I ever forget her, Axel...?”

Axel quickly shook off the pain in his own head and gnawed on his lip as he quickly wrapped Roxas in a tight, warm hug. “Shh... It's okay, Rox. It's going to be okay. I'm still here. You aren't alone.” He held his friend close to his chest and curled around him protectively, rocking lightly back and forth to soothe him. “I'm here. I've got you.”

Roxas curled into him and clung to him, shivering in Axel's arms. The pair sat there like that until the sky started growing dark and their stomachs started rumbling. Axel ruffled Roxas's hair gently and wipes the tears off of his cheeks for him. “C'mon, Kiddo. We best be getting back now. Dinner should be ready any time.” He stood and helped Roxas to his feet, wrapping an arm around his shoulders protectively as the two ventured through the woods back to Merlin's cabin. They both worked together to set table as Donald and Goofy finished up the food. Once it was ready, the four moved the food from the kitchen to the dining room together just as Sora and Kairi came in to join them and Merlin came down from his study.

The group all sat together at the table and dished up their food, conversing merrily as they ate. After dinner, the seven of them cleaned up the dishes and gathered in the living room to relax for the rest of the night. The lounged around the fire Merlin conjured up in his fireplace and talked idly about any topics that came to mind, though Roxas sat a small ways from the others and forced himself to keep his gaze away from where Kairi and Sora were sitting together.

Kairi watched him and frowned in concern, glancing over at Axel as she leaned closer to whisper to him. “Is... Is he alright...? He seems so... sad...”

Axel nodded and responded in an equally quiet tone. “He will be. He's just... grieving right now. He's lost someone very important to him. Important to him like you and Sora are to each other.”

Kairi's frown deepened, even as a light blush dusted her cheeks. “Poor thing... I wish there was something we could do for him...”

Sora scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “It's that friend isn't it? The one you two are missing.”

“Yeah... Her name was Xion... The reason Roxas reacts to Kairi the way he does is because Xion looked a lot like her. Nearly identical, even. I think that had something to do with her being created from your memories or something. And I think he's trying to avoid looking at you two is because he doesn't want to see you together. I think he thinks it would remind of himself and Xion. It would just hurt him worse.”

Sora perked up as a thought occurred to him. “Wait, if Xion was created from my memories and was a part of me... Maybe she's the other Heart Ansem found inside of mine. And if she is, then maybe Ienzo can get her out like he did with Roxas.”

Axel nodded quietly. “I would hope so... But we'd have to ask to know for sure.”

Sora grinned. “Then we call him in the morning and ask. First thing, as soon as we get up and dressed. If he can bring her back, we should get started on that as soon as we can.”

Axel gave a nod of agreement. “Good idea, but... let's not say anything about to Roxas for now. Not until we talk to Ienzo and find out more. Until then, it stays between the three of us.”

Kairi tilted her head with a frown. “But why? Wouldn't it be good news for him? Wouldn't it help him feel better?”

“We don't know if Ienzo even **can** bring her back yet, let alone if the process will work. She wasn't a Nobody like Roxas or me so circumstances are different. If we gave him hope now that she could come back and then it ended up not working for whatever reason... it'd be enough to destroy him I think... He's bad enough off now as it is. Best not to risk making it worse. I won't risk losing him. Not again... I only just got him back...”

Sora patted Axel's shoulder lightly. “Don't worry, we get it. We won't say a word. It'd be best coming from you anyways, I think.”

Axel gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Kid. You're alright.”

A couple of hours later found everyone yawning and rubbing their eyes, and they all decided to head to sleep for the night. After getting ready and putting everything away for the night, they all said their goodnights to each other and crawled into their beds to rest before the next day's training session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping the next chapter will come a lot quicker than this one. I actually have some ideas for it and am excited to write it. Hope you guys enjoyed this one in the meantime! Feel free to let me know what you think! ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read! ^_^ I hope you liked it! I'd love to hear what you think so feel free to leave a comment if you feel so inclined. Constructive criticism is always welcome (Keyword there is "constructive"). Until next time! ^_^


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